


A First Time For Everything

by WithoutForesight



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: First Date, Fluff, M/M, Miscommunication, On the surface, Post pacifist, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithoutForesight/pseuds/WithoutForesight
Summary: When Blue asks Edge to try and mend his tense relationship with his lazy counterpart, surely it’s the least he could do to accept when Stretch calls to ask if they could meet for coffee.Except Stretch wasn’t just asking to meet for coffee.
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Spicyhoney
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	A First Time For Everything

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually inspired by a prompt I got on my drawing blog for Edge and Stretch on their first date. I wrote half of it very sleep deprived so please forgive any blatant errors or just overall messiness!  
> Feel free to check out the image on my [spicyhoney blog](https://dumbgaybabylmao.tumblr.com/)!

The surface was nice.

Lovely, even.

And while they’d only been here for a few months, the humans had better received them than he dared dream.Of course, that was most likely attributable to the other ‘verse’s diplomatic skills, their own rather...lacking, in that department.

It was a shock, to say the least, when the others had implored him to take one of the roles as diplomat, one he vehemently rejected.He was quite proud of his ability to control his Lv, but he wouldn’t let such pride cloud his judgment so much to let him trust he wouldn’t slip up around the humans.And while they’d found better work for him afterwards, he was always ready to assist the others in any of their less social duties, should they ask.

After he’d offered, Blue had become the first to request his aid.Suffice to say making peace with his indolent, derisive alternate was not what he’d meant in the discussion of diplomatic work.

Yet, here he was, making the previously agreed to effort at finding some sort of middle ground with the other.Blue was his friend, and while their relationship was strained, it would be a struggle to say he and Stretch were enemies.If anything, they avoided each other, and passively traded snipes on the rare occasions that brought them together.But it was enough to upset Blue, so he’d do what he could to make their time together more tolerable to all involved.Especially with his brother’s lively alternate trying to institute a weekly movie night schedule.

And apparently, Blue had asked the same of his brother.Not a week after the request, he’d received a call from Stretch, sounding unusually tense, inquiring if he wanted to “hang out”, and talk about the ever ominously general “things”.A few back and forths later and they’d agreed to meet at the coffee shop by Ebott Park.Aside from the strange tone in the monster’s voice, it ended up a perfectly civil conversation.Possibly their first.

Straightening the soft, deep red scarf his brother had gifted him recently, presumably to replace the beloved tatters he’d still stubbornly been wearing up until, he gave himself a brief once over in the mirror adorning their entryway.It still felt odd, leaving the house in only his clothes and a jacket, uncomfortably exposed before creatures even more powerful than a monster with more Lv than himself, but at the very least the ever present kink in his neck seemed to have miraculously disappeared since he’d stopped toting double his own weight in amor every day.

“have fun on your date, chief.”

Heaving a sigh, he turned to face his gremlin of a brother smirking devilishly over the arm of the couch.

“It’s only a date if you like the person you’re meeting.”He hadn’t bothered telling him who he was seeing, probably already found out from Sans or Blue, but there was no doubt he knew, judging by the way his grin widened.

“c’mon, boss, the ashtray isn’t that bad, is ‘e?”

“Don’t call him that,” turning back to his reflection, he smoothed the lapels of his leather jacket, “you know Blue hates it.Besides, he’s trying to quit.”

Reaching for his keys, he almost wished he hadn’t turned to face his brother again, that antagonist smile so broad it pushed up against his sockets.

“oh is he now?wonder why...”

Collecting himself with a breath, he started for the door, “Because his brother hates that, too.I’ll be back before dinner, try not to starve in the meantime.”

“no promises,” was the last thing he heard before closing and locking their front door.Only two locks.And he tried to ignore for the tenth time that week how much it bothered him as he made his way to the car parked neatly in their driveway.His car.His own car, here, on the surface.

It felt like he shouldn’t dare think about it, or the universe might realize the mistake it had made and cast them back into the world where they belonged.Even as he adjusted the mirrors and clicked the radio on, there was hesitation in his movements, expecting it to fall apart like a dream turned nightmare.

But it didn’t.And after a moment more of pause, he pulled out of their driveway and headed toward town.He didn’t know the song, but he hummed along anyway.

The coffee shop wasn’t overly busy, buzzing with the sound of mixed conversation and various machinery.He was earlier than he’d expected, miscalculating how much traffic there would be on a Saturday afternoon, but it was pleasant enough he didn’t mind to wait.

The coffee shop being on the outskirts of their designated settlement, none of the humans were particularly shocked to see a monster.As a matter of fact, there were even a few others here as well, and the barista cast a smile toward him when he didn’t approach the register.He didn’t stop here often enough to be considered a regular, but enough that they recognized him, and it eased some of the tension in his shoulders that being in public always set in.

It was still a bit odd to be in an establishment that didn’t go deathly silent upon his entrance.To be milled around as though he was as typical as they come, and even greeted with pleasantries as opposed to shaking hands and soft murmurs.While no one besides the Judges knew exactly how much Lv he carried, the presence of it could still strangle the air, should he let it, and with as much as he had, it would’ve taken a particularly dense monster to not be aware of what he was capable of.And yet, even the few around seemed blissfully unbothered by it.

He was by no means particularly social, anyone who even knew _of_ him knew this, but ever since being on the surface, dealing primarily with monsters from much softer backgrounds, and humans, unaware of Lv and what it meant, it was jarringly...nice...to be able to put his sins behind him.While there were still many occasions he was briskly reminded of his appearance, of his presence, of his past, times like this were slowly beginning to outweigh them.And he’d be lying if he tried to convince himself he didn’t appreciate it.

The delicate chime of the bell above the door regathered his attention, glancing over the find his company for the afternoon nonchalantly ambling into the shop, peering around until their gazes met.A twinge in his soul reminded him he could expect the peaceful break from judgement to be cut short as the skeleton made his way to the table he’d occupied in his waiting.But when a bashful smile slowly replaced the coy one the other always seemed to wear, his curiosity perked.

“sorry about being late, i, uh, i thought it was friday,” twisting his hands together, Stretch glanced down at the table, sockets blinking in surprise, “you didn’t...?”Orange magic dusted his cheekbones as he focused anywhere but Edge, “you didn’t have to wait for me to order.”

Standing, he straightened his jacket, “It’s only been twenty minutes, and somehow, I managed to survive.”

The blush deepened, Stretch shuffling as he let the other pass, following him as they moved to the counter, “a-at least let me pay.”

Edge eyed him suspiciously, but as the flush faded, an earnest smile was all that faced him.With a nod, he stepped aside, letting the other order whatever fever dream nightmare he was inflicting onto the baristas, as well as his own “boring” coffee.

Taking his first proper look at the other, he was surprised to realize Stretch wasn’t wearing his typical baggy sweatpants, partnered by the lovingly overused hoodie that smelled strongly of cigarettes and sugar.Instead, he was wearing slim, well fitting cargo pants, and a warm sienna varsity jacket, with black sleeves and the emblem of some band he’d never heard of embroidered over the back.Moving to wait for their, or rather Stretch’s, beverage, the tease that he looked like he’d been dressed by his brother was quickly swallowed back as he took a sip from the scalding coffee he was handed.

“You look nice.”That was a polite enough way to say ‘I’ve never seen you actually dress like someone who’s supposed to be in public’, right?

That pale blush returned, followed by an even softer smile, and for a moment, he felt the prick of guilt as what it could’ve been had he followed his instinct.

“heh, thanks,” shifting aimlessly, he toyed with a cuff, “the jacket was actually napsta’s idea, but he, um,” something flickered across his face, darkening the blush and he quickly looked away, “he likes these kinda jackets.”

He could hear the lie in the amendment, but decided against pursuing it when the barista interrupted by placing the drink before them.Stretch took the distraction happily, thanking the barista and sipping on his multicolored disaster as he turned back to Edge.

“you ever had a s’mores frappuccino?this place’s is way better than starbucks,” poking the straw around, his smile returned to that bashful one as followed Edge to the exit, “it’s not even super sweet or anything.”

A smirk played at the corner of his mouth as he held the door open after him, starting down the sidewalk at the pace Stretch set, “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I want to do something to spite my dentist.”

A laugh bubbled out of Stretch then, the likes of which he’d never heard.Anxious and soft, as sweet as the drink in his hands, almost more a giggle, and Edge almost gawked as orange magic lit his features once again.

Suddenly, the very real concern that Stretch had been drugged crossed his mind.He’d mentioned Napstaton, would it be possible his friend could’ve done something mild to him as some sort of prank?Or perhaps the joke wasn’t on Stretch at all.

Clearing his throat, he took another sip of his coffee, mulling the possibilities behind his companion’s odd behavior as they continued.Perhaps the both of them were trying to prank him.By, what, taking advantage of his word to Blue to be more considerate?Hardly a prank.And what would Napstaton gain out of making Stretch...giddy, on their outing?Embarrassing him in front of Edge?Testing his patience with the uncharacteristic ‘hang out’?

With a sidelong glance, he found Stretch frowning into his beverage, stirring it with the straw as though it had personally offended him.

“Blue mentioned you’ve been considering taking classes at the community college.”

Wide sockets looked back to him, blinking back into that lazy smile of his as he fixed the drink more casually, “yeah, yeah...the science stuff is cool and all, but...i think i need a break.”

No retort to mind his own business, no crack about what kind of majors Edge should consider, if he ever decided to follow suit.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

With a snort, Stretch cast him a look, “yeah?”Or maybe he’d spoken too soon, “glad i’ve got the edgelord seal of approval.”

Or maybe not.A joke, perhaps, but there was no degradation in his tone.He didn’t seem shy about the topic, so they might as well run with it.

“What were you considering pursuing?”

Choking on his, for lack of a better term, coffee, Stretch coughed a few times, chuckling, waving a hand in front of his face, nervous laughter tapering off quickly.

“sorry, um,” clearing his throat properly, he swallowed back whatever nerves had surfaced from the question, “i was thinking anthropology?like, social patterns and human history and stuff...”

When their eyes met again, there was something almost wistful about him, “been a while since we’ve been up top, ya know?figured we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

Nodding, Edge swirled the now vastly cooled coffee, taking another sip.The lack of bitterness in Stretch’s tone was surprising; not many monsters spoke about the war, or the time after it, so easily.But what about this interaction hadn’t been surprising so far?

The silence dragged on after that, he himself not much of a conversationalist, and whatever strange spell had been cast over Stretch seemingly making him hesitant to speak first.In the meantime, they successfully made it to the park, following the long and winding sidewalks through the lush grass and well cared for trees.Again, it was only populated by a smattering of humans and monsters alike, all seeming to appreciate the temperate day and provided shade, uncaring of who else shared their vicinity.

Stretch cleared his throat, plastic cup mostly empty as he continued stirring aimlessly at what little was left, “how’re things working out with the embassy?”

Immediately he felt the tension return to his shoulders, averting his focus to the trees across the way.He wasn’t asking like that, right?He wasn’t implying that Edge would let his temper cost him his job so quickly.It was an innocent question, they were talking about life on the surface, it wasn’t a ploy.Right?

“Well.”He was careful to keep the strain out of his curt answer, finishing what remained of the cold coffee before removing the lid and disposing of the cup.Out of the corner of his eye he caught Stretch nodding, starring again into the melted whipped cream as though it had provided the answer.

“that’s good,” the words were quiet, and for a moment, he wondered if he should’ve said more when he noticed Stretch’s sockets trail to Edge’s hand, now at his side, and the plastic lid held inside it.

His smile turned up more sincerely at that, “starting a collection?”

Catching the lid between two fingers, he turned it over, tapping the triangle of arrows printed to the top, “Recycling.The surface is beautiful, but it’s not going to stay that way enduring so much abuse.Not that individuals recycling does much good, but it’s something.”

The way Stretch smiled at him in that moment was indescribable.It was the same kind he wore for his brother or their human, and even around the lot of them did Edge rarely see it.Taken aback, he looked away, swallowing around the lump in his throat as he slid the plastic disc into his pocket.

“that’s pretty thoughtful of ya, edgelord, never really considered you’d turn into an eco-activist on the surface.”

Scoffing, he folded his hands behind his back, “I’d hardly call recycling ‘activism’.”

Stretch chuckled in response, and something about it eased the strange tension in the air.He wasn’t used to hearing that laugh outside of it’s mocking cousin, but now it was only warm, genuine.And that initial concern washed back over him.

Why was Stretch acting this way?Why was he being so...kind?

Stealing another once over revealed nothing more than Stretch, walking beside him, no longer poking at his drink, watching the trees and the sky and the passerbys with a laid back aura that didn’t seem so much lazy as it did relaxed, and it reminded him of how the monster looked around Rus, around Blue.Around his friends.But never around him.

So why...

“Tell me more about Anthropology.”

Stretch glanced back to him, a mild surprise on his face, but the smile stayed and soon he was explaining about the specifics of the classes he was looking into, about the college and the study itself, about considering staying on campus, it wasn’t a far drive, only about thirty minutes, and aside from a few particularly awful puns, never once did he opt for an opportunity to take a stab at Edge, nor his Lv, nor his home ‘verse.

Eventually, the blue color of the sky was tinted with hues of pink and orange, it almost matched Stretch’s faint blush as he snickered at his own awful pun, waving a hand as if to dismiss it before continuing his argument for why Rus should consider taking a culinary class or two.They’d wrapped around the park three times by now, and they were nearing the spot they’d entered from, a short walk from Edge’s car.It was getting late, and Stretch, despite seeming to enjoy the chance to ramble, was slowing ever so slightly.It was time to head home, and Edge found himself...reluctant, almost, to draw the outing to a close as they wound back toward the coffee shop.

“but that’s for him to decide, ya know?i think he’d like it, and there’s no way he wouldn’t do well, right?”

Shaking his head in agreement, they slowed to a stop beside the parking meter for his spot, “Of course.He is a Papyrus, after all, there isn’t much we don’t do well.”

Huffing a silent laugh at that, Stretch shook his head, “guess there’s an exception to every rule, though, huh?”

For a moment, it slipped past him that they weren’t talking about the classes, ready to defend Rus’s cooking- or, well, ability to learn more about cooking- when he realized...

“You’d find yourself succeeding more often if you bothered trying,” pointedly keeping his tone low, as encouraging as he could manage, he found the other’s gaze, holding it firmly, and that sunset tinted blush reappeared in full force.

Breaking the stare, Stretch ran an anxious hand over the back of his neck, slouching somehow further as his smile tightened.

“uh, yeah, heh,” he fiddled with his hands for a moment, finding his pockets and then abandoning them just as quickly, settling on holding one arm as he carefully avoided looking back to the other’s face.

“this was, um...this was really...nice.”

Taking in their surroundings as the light of day faded and store fronts across the way reflected the multitudes of colors from the horizon, he found that statement truer than he ever would have expected.

“Yes, it was, wasn’t it.”

“and um, edge?”

Gathering his focus back to the monster before him, that nervous air had lessened, though Stretch still didn’t meet his eyes, “thanks.for, you know, for giving me a chance.i know i haven’t always been...the easiest guy to get along with, but um...”

Finally garnering the courage to look up, Stretch smiled at him with that incredible gentleness once again gracing his features, “thanks.”

And before he could think, as swift as the steady breeze around them, teeth brushed his cheekbone, as hardly there as fresh falling snow, and Stretch was back in front of him, a little further away than before, already stepping backwards in departure.

“maybe we can do this again, sometime?”

Still reeling, he didn’t get the chance to respond before Stretch stepped off the curb and into a shortcut, gone as quickly as his kiss.Leaving Edge to figure out what in the world had just happened.

He lost track of how long he stood there, and then again after moving into the car.The street lights flicking on snapped him from his daze and before he realized where he was going, he was halfway home.Replaying the entire interaction from the moment Stretch had walked through the door of their meeting grounds, he could find nothing to click everything in place.No missing piece, nothing he could find.Then he moved further back in his memory, what Blue had said, what Stretch had mentioned in his invitation.And still, no hints or clues surfaced as he mentally dug himself deeper and deeper into the recesses of memories since they’d all wound up together in a shared universe.

Stretch didn’t like him.As a matter of fact, the first time they’d met, the word loathed wouldn’t have been far from his tongue.Certainly it had improved, as time worked its magic, and while he’d never made it his goal to prove himself to the lazy bag of bones, nor make excuses for his past actions, he’d chalked all of the progress up to Stretch simply accepting they weren’t going away.

Even up until recently, the few times they’d ended up around each other had been less than cordial.And this was going above and beyond simple mending, or burying of hatchets.That’s what it had been, right?Stretch had...Stretch had kissed him.On the face.On his cheek.And when he lifted a hand to brush the spot, not even capable of replicating the same softness, he realized he’d been parked in his driveway for angel knows how long.

Blue had in no way implied his brother was, he would...

_‘have fun on your date, chief.’_

Stretch had asked him on a date.

And he’d accepted.

His brother’s teasing intonation filled his skull as he sunk down as far as the compact seat would allow.

He’d gone on a date with Stretch.

And enjoyed it.

Warmth spread across his cheekbones, and despite being alone in the vehicle, he buried his face in his hands, pleading with himself to get a grip.

This was not what he had planned.

And when the image of Stretch looking back to him, face colored in perfect complement to the sky around them, asking so hopefully without expecting an answer to see him again filled his mind, he could only feel the warmth in his face heat further against his hands.

No, this was not what he had planned at all.

**Author's Note:**

> The more I write them the more I feel like the nickname Rus might suit Swap Papyrus better, but then I’d have to change Classic’s nickname too and I’m just ahfkksnalfksj


End file.
